Apparatus and server for sharing position information of vehicle

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for sharing location information of a vehicle may include: a communication circuit configured to communicate with a server, and a processor electrically connected with the communication circuit. The processor may be configured to receive, via the communication circuit, authentication information for sharing the location information of the vehicle from the server; transmit, via the communication circuit, the authentication information to an external device, which is a target for sharing the authentication information, such that the external device receives the location information from the server; and acquire the location information from the server using the authentication information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2018-0106011, filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Sep. 5, 2018, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a system for sharing locationinformation of a vehicle with external devices.

BACKGROUND

As the vehicle industry has developed, wireless communicationtechnologies have become increasingly important for the purpose ofproviding convenience for drivers. For example, some wirelesscommunication-based services for enhancing driver convenience utilizelocation information and state information of vehicles. To provide suchservices, a vehicle may be required to share its location and stateinformation with various external devices.

However, many conventional techniques for sharing location and stateinformation of a vehicle with external devices are inefficient. Inaddition, since the location and state information of a vehicle can bepersonal (i.e., private), security issues may arise.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentionedproblems occurring in the related art while advantages achieved by therelated art are maintained intact.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus, a server, anda system capable of providing an efficient and safe manner for sharinglocation information and state information of a vehicle.

The technical problems to be solved by the present inventive concept arenot limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technicalproblems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood from thefollowing description by those skilled in the art to which the presentdisclosure pertains.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an apparatus forsharing location information of a vehicle may include: a communicationcircuit configured to communicate with a server, and a processorelectrically connected with the communication circuit. The processor maybe configured to receive, via the communication circuit, authenticationinformation for sharing the location information of the vehicle from theserver; transmit, via the communication circuit, the authenticationinformation to an external device, which is a target for sharing theauthentication information, such that the external device receives thelocation information from the server; and acquire the locationinformation from the server using the authentication information.

The external device may be selected depending on a type of a service tobe provided using the location information.

The external device may be selected based on user input provided to theapparatus.

The processor may be configured to acquire the location informationthrough a web-page provided by the server.

The processor may be configured to acquire the location information in aHyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response to an HTTP request providedby the server.

The processor may be configured to acquire the location informationthrough a notification provided by the server.

The processor may be configured to periodically acquire the locationinformation from the server using the authentication information.

The processor may be configured to determine whether the vehicle entersand/or exits a specified location using the location information.

The processor may be configured to determine whether the vehicle departsfrom, approaches, and/or arrives at a specified location using thelocation information.

The authentication information may allow the external device to receivethe location information through authentication by the server.

The location information may include information indicating at least oneof a location, an origin, a destination, an expected arrival time, and amoving path of the vehicle.

The processor may be configured to authenticate the external deviceusing the authentication information, and to transmit, via thecommunication circuit, the location information to the authenticatedexternal device.

Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, anon-transitory computer readable medium may contain program instructionsfor sharing location information of a vehicle, the program instructionswhen executed by a processor causing the processor to: receive, via acommunication circuit, authentication information for sharing thelocation information of the vehicle from a server; transmit, via thecommunication circuit, the authentication information to an externaldevice, which is a target for sharing the authentication information,such that the external device receives the location information from theserver; and acquire the location information from the server using theauthentication information.

Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, aserver for sharing location information of a vehicle may include acommunication circuit configured to communicate with the vehicle, and aprocessor electrically connected with the communication circuit. Theprocessor may be configured to receive, via the communication circuit,the location information of the vehicle and identification informationof an external device, which is a target for sharing the locationinformation of the vehicle, from the vehicle, transmit, via thecommunication circuit, authentication information for sharing thelocation information to the external device, authenticate the externaldevice, or another device which receives the authentication informationfrom the external device, using the authentication information, andtransmit, via the communication circuit, the location information to theauthenticated device.

The external device may include at least one of a user terminal, anInternet of things (IoT) device, a payment system, a positioning system,an emergency rescue system, an insurance system, and an externalvehicle.

The processor may be configured to acquire, via the communicationcircuit, the location information and at least one of personalinformation, personal identification information, vehicle stateinformation, vehicle guide information, and security information, fromthe vehicle; and transmit, via the communication circuit, the acquiredinformation to the authenticated device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment of asystem for sharing location information of a vehicle, according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle, aserver, and a sharing-target device, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a system forsharing location information of a vehicle, according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for sharing locationinformation of a vehicle, according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for sharing locationinformation of a vehicle according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a system forsharing location information of a vehicle, according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a system forsharing the location information of a vehicle, according to embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a system forsharing the location information of a vehicle, according to embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a system forsharing location information of a vehicle, according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a computing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

It should be understood that the above-referenced drawings are notnecessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation ofvarious preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of thedisclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure,including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations,and shapes, will be determined in part by the particular intendedapplication and use environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. In thefollowing description, the same reference numerals will be assigned tothe same components even though the components are illustrated indifferent drawings. In addition, in the following description of anembodiment of the present disclosure, a detailed description ofwell-known features or functions will be ruled out in order not tounnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure.

In describing components of exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the terms 1^(st), 2^(nd), first, second, A, B, (a), (b), andthe like may be used herein. These terms are only used to distinguishone component from another component, but do not limit the correspondingcomponents irrespective of the order or priority of the correspondingcomponents.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items.

It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similarterm as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such aspassenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses,trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety ofboats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles,electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-poweredvehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived fromresources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicleis a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example bothgasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical orscientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understoodby those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary are to beinterpreted as having meanings equal to the contextual meanings in therelevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted as having ideal orexcessively formal meanings unless clearly defined as having such in thepresent application.

Additionally, it is understood that one or more of the below methods, oraspects thereof, may be executed by at least one control unit. The term“control unit” may refer to a hardware device that includes a memory anda processor. The memory is configured to store program instructions, andthe processor is specifically programmed to execute the programinstructions to perform one or more processes which are describedfurther below. The control unit may control operation of units, modules,parts, devices, or the like, as described herein. Moreover, it isunderstood that the below methods may be executed by an apparatuscomprising the control unit in conjunction with one or more othercomponents, as would be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in theart.

Furthermore, the control unit of the present disclosure may be embodiedas non-transitory computer readable media containing executable programinstructions executed by a processor. Examples of the computer readablemediums include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, compact disc(CD)-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards andoptical data storage devices. The computer readable recording medium canalso be distributed throughout a computer network so that the programinstructions are stored and executed in a distributed fashion, e.g., bya telematics server or a Controller Area Network (CAN).

Referring now to the presently disclosed embodiments, FIG. 1 is a blockdiagram illustrating an operating environment of a system for sharinglocation information of a vehicle (alternatively referred to herein as“vehicle location information sharing system”), according to embodimentsof the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle location information sharing system mayinclude a vehicle 110, a location sharing platform 120, and asharing-target device 130.

The vehicle 110 may collect the location information and the stateinformation of the vehicle 110 and may transmit the collectedinformation to the location sharing platform 120. The location sharingplatform 120 may receive, manage, and process the location informationand the state information of the vehicle 110. The sharing-target device130 may provide a service for a user using the shared locationinformation.

For example, a user terminal may receive the location information andthe state information using a web-browser and a dedicated application,may provide the received information for the user, and may share thelocation information and the state information with another device.Internet of Things (IoT) devices (e.g., a voice recognition speaker, anair conditioning system, an electric lamp, a television (TV), a closedcircuit television (CCTV), a wall pad, a boiler, or the like) mayperform various operations when a vehicle enters a parking lot. Apayment system (e.g., a parking lot payment system, an electronic tollcollection system (ETCS), a driver through payment system, or the like)may perform payment and business processes using the locationinformation. A positioning system (e.g., a path searching server) mayprovide services such as a path searching service and a trafficinformation providing service using the location information. Anemergency situation related system (e.g., an insurance system or anemergency rescue system) may check the location information and thestate information of the vehicle 110 when car accident or car stealthhappens. An external vehicle may bi-directionally share locationinformation with the vehicle 110 and may utilize the locationinformation in fleet driving.

In addition, the location information is shared to provide variousservices such as movement state of public transportation,carpool-vehicle notification, car-sharing, the location inquiry ofemergency vehicle, the location inquiry of a battery charging vehicle,notification of danger zone entrance, or notification of safety zoneexit.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle, aserver, and a sharing-target device, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 2, a vehicle 210 may include a sensor 211, a memory212, a communication circuit 213, and a control circuit 214.

The sensor 211 may detect information indicating at least one of aposition, a speed, an acceleration, an angular velocity, an altitude, adoor lock/unlock, a door open/close, a trunk open/close, a hoodopen/close, a start on/off, a battery charge state, and a tire airpressure.

The memory 212 may store map information, passenger information andvehicle/AVN serial information.

The communication circuit 213 may transmit the location information andthe state information of the vehicle 210 to a location sharing platform.The location information may include, for example, present locationinformation (e.g., coordinates, an address, road information, a vehicleadvancing direction, a speed, a current time, or the like) and adestination information (e.g., a name, coordinates, an address, aremaining time, a remaining distance, or the like). The stateinformation of the vehicle 210 may include information relating to airconditioning (e.g., air conditioning on/off, air conditioning settingrequirements, a temperature, a strength, an operating mode, defrost, orthe like), an engine (e.g., non/on/off), a transmission (e.g., atransmission type, a gear lever position, or the like), a door (e.g.,door lock/unlock, a door opening/closing, a trunk opening/closing, ahood opening/closing, a sunroof opening/closing, or the like), ahot-wire (e.g., steering wheel, a rear glass, a seat, or the like), apower state of an electric vehicle, a battery (e.g., a battery chargingstate, a charge amount, a charging time, a drivable distance, or thelike), fuel (e.g., a remaining amount of fuel, a drivable distance, orthe like), etc.

The control circuit 214 may be electrically connected with the sensor211, the memory 212, and the communication circuit 213. The controlcircuit 214 may control the sensor 211, the memory 212, and thecommunication circuit 213 and may perform various data processing andvarious arithmetic computations. The control circuit 214 may include,for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted on the vehicle 210or a sub-controller.

The vehicle 210 may share the location information with the server 220without an additional operation of a driver. For example, the vehicle210 may monitor the vehicle state. When the state of the vehicle 210 ischanged, the vehicle 210 may transmit the changed information to theserver 220. For another example, the vehicle 210 may activate locationsharing when turning on, may transmit the location information to theserver 220 at shorter time intervals when the vehicle 210 is driving,and may transmit the location information at a longer time interval whenthe vehicle 210 is not driving. For another example, the vehicle 210 maytransmit the location information to the server 220 when the state(e.g., a search, path search, path cancel, destination arrival, or thelike) of the navigation is changed.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the server 220 mayinclude a communication circuit 221, a memory 222, an authenticationmodule 223, and a processor 224. The server 220 may include a locationsharing platform.

The communication circuit 221 may receive the location information, thestate information, information on a person (recipient) receivinginformation to be shared, and/or sharing condition information, which istransmitted from the vehicle 210, and may transmit information forsharing a location to a sharing-target device 230.

The memory 222 may include a database for sharing location informationand state information of each vehicle.

The authentication module 223 may perform an authentication procedurewith the vehicle 210 and may perform an authentication procedure withthe sharing-target device 230. The authentication module 223 may beimplemented separately from or integrally with another component.

The processor 224 may be electrically connected with a communicationcircuit 221, a memory 222, and an authentication module 223. Theprocessor 224 may control the communication circuit 221, the memory 222,and the authentication module 223 and may perform various dataprocessing and various computations.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 224may acquire the location information of the vehicle 210 andidentification information of the sharing-target device 230, which is toreceive the location information to be shared, through the communicationcircuit 221 from the vehicle 210.

The processor 224 may transmit authentication information, which is usedfor sharing the location information, to the sharing-target device 230.The authentication information may be necessary to performauthentication for security communication between the server 220 and thesharing-target device 230. The authentication information may include,for example, the intrinsic information, such as a vehicle identificationnumber (VIN), an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID), a universalsubscriber identity module (USIM) number, an international mobileequipment identify (IMEI), or a serial number of a terminal modulatorand de-modulator (MODEM), of a terminal of the vehicle 210, an ID, apassword, or a security code arbitrarily created. For another example,the authentication information may include active time and a temporarycode having search authority.

The processor 224 may authenticate the sharing-target device 230 oranother device, which receives the authentication information from thesharing-target device 230, using the authentication information, and maytransmit the location information to the authenticated device. Thesharing-target device 230 may include at least one of a user terminal,an IoT payment system, a positioning system, an emergency rescue system,an insurance system, or an external vehicle. According to an embodiment,the processor 224 may acquire at least one of personal information,personal ID information, vehicle state information, vehicle guideinformation or security information together with the locationinformation from the vehicle 210, and may transmit, to the authenticateddevice, at least one of the acquired information together with thelocation information.

The vehicle 210 and the server 220 may perform the followingauthentication procedure for security. The server 220 may receiveproduction information created at a time point that the vehicle 210(e.g., audio, video, and navigation (ANV) of the vehicle 210) isproduced or may interwork with a system that the production informationis loaded. When a mobile communication network of the vehicle 210 isopen, the server 220 may send an authentication number to the vehicle210. The vehicle 210 may encrypt an authentication number using, as akey, internal information, such as VIN, ICCID, IMEI, or the like of thevehicle 210 and may transmit the encrypted authentication number to theserver 220. The server 220 may decrypt the encrypted authenticationnumber using the internal information of the vehicle 210 and may verifythe authentication number.

When the authentication number is verified, the server 220 may issue anencrypted key for security communication to the vehicle 210. The vehicle210 may sign on an ACK message using the encrypted key, and may transmitthe ACK message to the server 220, and the server 220 may verify thesign. The vehicle 210 may transmit a location sharing activation signalto the server 220 using an encryption key for location sharingactivation. The server 220 may verify the sign and may issue a temporarykey for transmission of the location information using the encryptedkey. The vehicle 210 may encrypt location information, stateinformation, and identification information of the recipient using thetemporary key and may transmit the encrypted information to the server220.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the sharing-targetdevice 230 may include a communication circuit 231 and a processor 232.The sharing-target device 230 may be a device corresponding to IDinformation of the recipient, which is to be transmitted to the server220 from the vehicle 210.

The communication circuit 231 may be configured to communicate with theserver 220.

The processor 232 may be electrically connected with the communicationcircuit 231, may control the communication circuit 231 and anothercomponent, and may perform various data processing and variouscomputations.

The processor 232 may receive authentication information for sharing thelocation information of the vehicle 210 from the server 220 using thecommunication circuit 231. The location information may include, forexample, information on at least one of the location, a starting place,a destination, an expected arrival time, and a moving path of thevehicle.

The processor 232 may transmit authentication information to an externaldevice using the communication circuit 231 such that another externaldevice, which is to share the authentication information, acquires thelocation information from the server 220. The authentication informationmay be configured, such that the external device receives the locationinformation through the authentication by the server 220. According toembodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 232 mayauthenticate the external device using the authentication informationand may transmit the location information to the authenticated device.The processor 232 may perform authentication and transmission through amanner similar to that of the server 200 or using the server 220.

The external device may be selected according to the type of a serviceto be used using the location information. The service may include, forexample, a real-time location sharing service, a real-time locationinquiry service, and a real-time location notification service. Thereal-time location sharing service may be service for checking thestate, the location, the destination, the path, and the parking positionof the vehicle 210 for specified sharing time in real-time. Thereal-time location sharing service may update the location of thevehicle 210 on a map in real-time, and may transmit a message. Thedestination, the traveling path, and the expected arrival time of thevehicle 210 may be provided depending on the selection of a person(sharer) providing the information for sharing. In addition, an alertmay be provided at 10 minutes before the vehicle 210 arrives or at themoment when the vehicle 210 arrives, depending on the selection of therecipient. The real-time location inquiry service allows a user to checklocation coordinates or an address of the vehicle 210 in arequest/response scheme one time. The real-time location notificationservice may automatically provide a notification including informationsuch as the location and the destination of the vehicle 210 at the timepoint that the vehicle 210 enters a specific point, a specific region,or a specific radius.

The external device may be selected based on a device input by a user.The device input by the user may be made in the vehicle 210 and may bemade in the sharing-target device 230.

The processor 232 may acquire location information from the server 220using the authentication information. The processor 232 may periodicallyacquire the location information using the authentication information.For example, when the sharing-target device 230 is a smartphone, apersonal computer, a tablet, or the like, the processor 232 may acquirelocation information through a web-page provided from the server 220(real-time sharing service). For example, when the sharing-target device230 is an external vehicle, an IoT device, or an emergency situationrelated system, the processor 232 may acquire location information in aHyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response to an HTTP request providedfrom the server 220 (real-time location inquiry service). For anotherexample, when the sharing-target device 230 is a payment system, theprocessor 232 may acquire location information through a notificationprovided by the server 220 (real-time location notification service).The processor 232 may determine the entrance of the vehicle 210 to thespecified location and/or the exit of the vehicle 210 out of thespecified location. The processor 232 may determine at least one ofstarting, approaching, or arriving of the vehicle 210 with respect tothe specified position.

Table 1 shows description of information shared by the vehicle locationinformation sharing system, according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

TABLE 1 Classification Attributes Examples of data Personal InformationName, address, type of vehicle, information owned by paymentinformation, contacts, person latest destination, favorites, or the likePersonal Location Time, vehicle location, starting location informationplace, destination, expected arrival information of person time, movingpath, or the like Personal Information Resident registrationinformation, identification used to name, e-mail, phone number, ID,information identify credit card number, or the like person VehicleInformation Air state of vehicle conditioning/engine/transmission/door/information irrelevant fuel amount/charging state to person VehicleInformation Airbag deployment information, safety associated stealthdetection signal, vehicle information with failure information,roll-over driver/vehicle sensor information, or the like SecurityAuthentication Log-in password, Access token, OTP informationinformation code, VIN/NADID, security to identify authentication key, orthe like. person

Table 2 shows a use time point and a transmission time point ofinformation shared in the vehicle location information sharing system,according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

TABLE 2 Transmission time point Server ←→ □sharing- Vehicle ←→ targetClassification Use time point Server□ device Personal Change of Timepoint to Time point information location change setting to share sharingsetting information location Personal Location Real-time Locationlocation sharing transmission being information starting/sharingreceiving Personal Connected car Log- identification servicein/authentication information subscription, time point Location sharingservice subscription Vehicle state Time point to Time point toinformation inquire vehicle change state state information Vehicle Timepoint that Time point to safety safety accident change state informationis generated information Security Time point to Time point to Time pointinformation inquire authenticate to personal sharer authenticatelocation recipient information

The communication between the server 220 and the sharing-target device230 may be based on previous authentication. When the sharing-targetdevice 230 is an external vehicle, the authentication procedure of thesharing-target device 230 may be performed in the manner the same as themanner of authenticating between the vehicle 210 and the server 220.When the sharing-target device 230 is a server system, theauthentication procedure may be performed according to transport layersecurity (TLS) standard. When the sharing-target device 230 is the IoTdevice, the authentication procedure may be performed based on theofficial certificate TLS standard by the server system for controllingthe IoT device. When the sharing-target device 230 is a mobile terminal,the server 220 creates a uniform resource locator (URL) by hashing(SHA-256) information using an encryption key and may provide the URL tothe mobile terminal.

Table 3 shows the description of sharing information, sharing time, anda recipient depending on the type of a service in a vehicle locationinformation sharing system, according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

TABLE 3 Approach Sharing Service type Level information time RecipientSharing 0 Vehicle Always Terminal/ service location/state App. ofrecipient Sharing 1 Vehicle Sharing Terminal/App. service location timeof another person Inquiry 2 Vehicle Sharing Another service locationtime person, corporation server Notification 3 Vehicle ReceivingRecipient, service location time Another person, cooperation serverOther 4 Checking state Receiving Business service of vehicle time serverlocation

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a vehiclelocation information sharing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 3, according to embodiments of the present disclosure,a vehicle may activate the sharing of location information. The vehiclemay transmit location information to a location sharing platform. Thevehicle may transmit identification information (e.g., the IDinformation of a smartphone) of a recipient to the location sharingplatform. The vehicle may select a target (sharing expanding target) forexpanding the sharing of the location information. For example, thevehicle may select a tablet, a PC, an IoT device, or an external vehicleas the sharing expanding target. The location sharing platform may sharethe authentication information with the smartphone. The smartphone mayacquire location information from the location sharing platform usingauthentication information. The smartphone may transmit authenticationinformation to the tablet, the PC, the IoT device, and the externaldevice selected as the sharing expanding target. The tablet, the PC, theIoT device, and the external vehicle may receive the locationinformation from the location sharing platform using the authenticationinformation. The location sharing platform may re-verify theauthentication information of the tablet, the PC, the IoT device, andthe external vehicle, thereby performing the authentication.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for sharing the locationinformation of the vehicle, according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the vehicle 210 or theserver 220 of FIG. 2 performs the processor of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, in operation 410, a vehicle may activate locationsharing.

In operation 420, the vehicle may transmit location information to theserver. The vehicle may periodically transmit the location informationand the state information of the vehicle to the server when the locationsharing is activated.

In operation 430, the vehicle may transmit representative identificationinformation of a recipient. The vehicle may transmit representative IDinformation (e.g., portable phone number or an ID of an accountcorresponding to the portable number) of the sharing-target device tothe server.

In operation 440, the vehicle may set a sharing condition. The vehiclemay set information (e.g., a real-time location, a destination, atraveling path, an expected time, an authority, and the type of sharingservice or the like) to be shared with the sharing-target device.

In operation 450, the server may identify information on the recipient.

In operation 460, the vehicle may determine whether the information onthe recipient is registered in the server. The vehicle may determinewhether the relevant phone number or account information is registeredin the server at the time point that the sharing is activated.

When the recipient information is registered information, the vehiclemay select a target for expanding the sharing in operation 470.

In operation 480, the server may transmit authentication information andlocation information to the recipient. When the target is selected bythe vehicle, the server may share the location information with theselected target. When the information on the recipient is notregistered, the server may share location information with a targetdetermined depending on the type of a sharing service.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for sharing locationinformation of a vehicle, according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the vehicle 210 or theserver 220 of FIG. 2 performs the processor of FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the server may commence location sharing inoperation 510. The server may commence the location sharing to thesharing-target device using the representative ID information of therecipient.

In operation 520, the sharing-target device may receive authenticationinformation and location information from the server. The sharing-targetdevice may receive authentication information from the server, and mayreceive location information using the authentication information.

In operation 530, the sharing-target device may select a target (sharingexpanding target) for expanding the sharing of the location information.The sharing expanding target may be selected by the vehicle and selectedby the sharing-target device.

In operation 540, the sharing-target device may share the authenticationinformation with the target for sharing the target.

In operation 550, the server may re-verify the authenticationinformation from the sharing expanding target.

In operation 560, the server may complete the authentication byre-verifying the authentication information.

In operation 570, the sharing expanding target may receive the locationinformation from the server.

In operation 580, the sharing-target device may check the expanding ofthe location sharing.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of the vehiclelocation information sharing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6, a vehicle may share location information of thevehicle with a location sharing platform. The vehicle may transmit IDinformation (e.g., a phone number or an ID) of a mobile terminal to thelocation sharing platform. The location sharing platform may transmitthe authentication information to the mobile terminal using the IDinformation. The mobile terminal may acquire location information of thevehicle through the location sharing platform in real-time, using theauthentication information.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a vehiclelocation information sharing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, a vehicle may share location information of thevehicle with a location sharing platform. The vehicle may transmit IDinformation (e.g., a phone number or an ID) of a mobile terminal to thelocation sharing platform. The vehicle may transmit information on atarget for expanding sharing to the location sharing platform to expandthe sharing. The location sharing platform may transmit authenticationinformation to the mobile terminal using the ID information. The mobileterminal may acquire location information of the vehicle through thelocation sharing platform in real-time, using the authenticationinformation. The mobile terminal may share the authenticationinformation with an IoT device, which is the target for expanding thesharing, to expand the sharing. The IoT device may performauthentication using the authentication information. The locationsharing platform may re-verify the authentication information of the IoTdevice. When the authentication is completed, the IoT device may acquirethe location information of the vehicle through the location sharingplatform. For example, the IoT device may determine whether the vehicleenters a parking lot of a house having the IoT device and exits out ofthe parking lot.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a vehiclelocation information sharing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8, a vehicle may detect car accident or car stealth.When the vehicle detects the car accident or the car stealth, thevehicle may transmit the location information and the state informationof the vehicle to a location sharing platform. The location sharingplatform may transmit the authentication information to an emergencyrescue system or an insurance system, which is previously registered,even if the information on the recipient is not input. The emergencyrescue system or the insurance system may acquire information on thelocation, the state, and the security of the vehicle through thelocation sharing platform, using the authentication information.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an exemplary operation of a vehiclelocation information sharing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 9, a location sharing platform and a payment system areaffiliated with each other to authenticate one another. A vehicle mayreceive information on the payment system from the location sharingplatform and may register the payment system as a target for sharing.The vehicle may share the location information of the vehicle with thelocation sharing platform. The location sharing platform may notify thedeparture of the vehicle to the payment system when the vehicledepartures to a place for a product or service purchased through thepayment system. The location sharing platform may notify the approach ofthe vehicle to the payment system when the vehicle approaches the place.When the vehicle arrives at the place, the location sharing platform maynotify the arrival of the vehicle to the payment system. A provider ofthe product or the service may provide an appropriate service to a userof the vehicle using the notification.

FIG. 10 illustrates a computing system, according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 10, the apparatus may be implemented through acomputing system. A computing system 1000 may include at least oneprocessor 1100, a memory 1300, a user interface input device 1400, auser interface output device 1500, a storage 1600, and a networkinterface 1700, which are connected with each other via a bus 1200.

The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or asemiconductor device for processing instructions stored in the memory1300 and/or the storage 1600. Each of the memory 1300 and the storage1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storagemedia. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read only memory (ROM)and a random access memory (RAM).

Thus, the operations of the methods or algorithms described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed in the specification may bedirectly implemented with a hardware module, a software module, orcombinations thereof, executed by the processor 1100. The softwaremodule may reside on a storage medium (e.g., the memory 1300 and/or thestorage 1600) such as a RAM, a flash memory, a ROM, an erasable andprogrammable ROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, ahard disc, a removable disc, or a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM). Anexemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor 1100. Theprocessor 1100 may read out information from the storage medium and maywrite information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the storagemedium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The integratedprocessor and storage medium may reside in an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal.Alternatively, the integrated processor and storage medium may reside asa separate component of the user terminal.

As described above, according to embodiments of the present disclosure,in the apparatus and the server for sharing the location information ofthe vehicle, the location information may be shared with variousexternal devices, thereby improving the efficiency and the security insharing information.

Various other effects may be directly or indirectly produced through thepresent disclosure.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tocertain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure described herein arenot limiting, but illustrative, and the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. The spirit and scope and the presentdisclosure should be interpreted by the following claims, it should beinterpreted that all technical ideas which are equivalent to the presentdisclosure are included in the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for sharing location information of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a communication circuit configured to communicate with a server; and a processor electrically connected with the communication circuit, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the communication circuit, authentication information for sharing the location information of the vehicle from the server; transmit, via the communication circuit, the authentication information to an external device, which is a target for sharing the authentication information, such that the external device receives the location information from the server; and acquire the location information from the server using the authentication information.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external device is selected depending on a type of a service to be provided using the location information.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external device is selected based on user input provided to the apparatus.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire the location information through a web-page provided by the server.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire the location information in a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response to an HTTP request provided by the server.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire the location information through a notification provided by the server.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: periodically acquire the location information from the server using the authentication information.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: determine whether the vehicle enters and/or exits a specified location using the location information.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: determine whether the vehicle departs from, approaches, and/or arrives at a specified location using the location information.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication information allows the external device to receive the location information through authentication by the server.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location information includes information indicating at least one of a location, an origin, a destination, an expected arrival time, and a moving path of the vehicle.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: authenticate the external device using the authentication information; and transmit, via the communication circuit, the location information to the authenticated external device.
 13. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for sharing location information of a vehicle, the program instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to: receive, via a communication circuit, authentication information for sharing the location information of the vehicle from a server; transmit, via the communication circuit, the authentication information to an external device, which is a target for sharing the authentication information, such that the external device receives the location information from the server; and acquire the location information from the server using the authentication information.
 14. A server for sharing location information of a vehicle, the server comprising: a communication circuit configured to communicate with the vehicle; and a processor electrically connected with the communication circuit, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the communication circuit, the location information of the vehicle and identification information of an external device, which is a target for sharing the location information of the vehicle, from the vehicle, transmit, via the communication circuit, authentication information for sharing the location information to the external device, authenticate the external device, or another device which receives the authentication information from the external device, using the authentication information, and transmit, via the communication circuit, the location information to the authenticated device.
 15. The server of claim 14, wherein the external device includes at least one of a user terminal, an Internet of things (IoT) device, a payment system, a positioning system, an emergency rescue system, an insurance system, and an external vehicle.
 16. The server of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire, via the communication circuit, the location information and at least one of personal information, personal identification information, vehicle state information, vehicle guide information, and security information, from the vehicle; and transmit, via the communication circuit, the acquired information to the authenticated device. 